Technical Abstract:
. Invasive ants are among the most serious of arthropod invaders. These ants infest a wide range of habitats and impact biodiversity, agriculture, and human health. Self-sustaining biological control is one of the few hopes for permanent regional suppression of these established invasive ants. For imported fire ants, microsporidian and viral pathogens are one of the few agents with documented colony level impacts. They have desirable attributes of host specificity and the capability to infiltrate colonies. However, their field impact at the population level, while promising, may not match expectations. Factors affecting the impact of these pathogens are discussed along with future opportunities to better utilize entomopathogens for fire ant control.